Or rather, what happens when the perfumer’s beloved materials get sent to the principal’s office and sentenced to regulatory detention?
If you have ever purchased a loved perfume, returned to it later, and thought, “Wait…why does this smell a little different?” Or perhaps even compared the two bottles side by side and noticed a subtle change, I can promise you are not imagining things.
Well, probably not... Skin chemistry, aging, storage, weather, hormones, and even what you ate for breakfast can affect how you perceive a fragrance. Perfume is a tiny theatrical production happening directly on your body, and sometimes the cast wakes up feeling temperamental. Occasionally, they are downright rude.
I’m looking at you, Thorns & Honey rebuild.
But there is another reason fragrances sometimes have to change: ingredient safety standards change. The International Fragrance Association, better known as the IFRA, periodically reviews fragrance materials using updated scientific research and safety data. These reviews may introduce new restrictions, lower existing usage limits, or occasionally remove a material from the perfumer’s palette completely.
The upcoming 52nd Amendment includes proposed changes affecting dozens of materials, including some very familiar and widely beloved ingredients used here at KH. *Cries in perfumer*
So...what does this actually mean?
Every fragrance material has a very different maximum safe usage levels depending on how the finished product will be used. Some may be permitted at concentrations as high as 100%, while others are restricted to 1%, 0.01%, or even much less. Fine fragrance that are applied directly to the skin also falls into a completely different product category than lets say candles, soaps, lotions, or other household products.
That distinction matters a lot because an IFRA percentage generally refers to the maximum amount of a restricted material permitted in the finished product, not the amount used within my fragrance concentrate. In other words, there is math... lots and lots of math.
There are spreadsheets. There are calculators. There is definitely one woman sitting at her studio desk at 2:37 in the morning, whispering, and possibly even crying, “But she was perfect,” while staring mournfully at a bottle of aroma material. It is me. I am the woman.
Some of Our Favorites Are Changing
One of the materials affected is phenethyl alcohol, often shortened to PEA. It is a beautiful, classic perfumery material with a very soft rose-like, honeyed floral character. It has historically been extraordinarily flexible to work with, but the proposed restriction for fine fragrance use is now dramatically lowered.
Going from essentially unrestricted use to roughly 4% is not a tiny adjustment. For a perfumer, that can mean rebuilding the structure surrounding the material so the fragrance still blooms, diffuses, and smell like it should.
Then there is Galaxolide, it is one of perfumery’s familiar warm, clean, fuzzy musks. It adds softness, volume, comfort, and that oh so lovely plush “I would like to live inside this sweater forever” feeling.
Galaxolide is currently facing regulatory scrutiny of its own, particularly in Europe. Its future use may become more limited depending on how those regulatory decisions develop.
Once again: Cries in warm, fuzzy musk.
Does This Mean Every KH Fragrance Is Changing?
Nope! So don’t fret, and please do not picture me tossing the entire KH catalog into a cauldron and starting over before breakfast. We are not setting the whole kingdom on fire. Promise.
These changes will not affect every fragrance equally. Some formulas may already sit comfortably within the new limits. Some may need only a very small adjustment. Others may require more thoughtful reconstruction, especially when an affected material forms an important part of the fragrance’s body, texture, diffusion, or emotional character.
When reformulation is necessary, I will never carelessly swap one ingredient for another and simply hope nobody notices. I revisit the composition as a whole, rebuilding and rebalancing it until it feels complete again.
Yes, I am looking at you. Again. Thorns & Honey.
I strip the formula apart and ask myself a series of questions: What is this material doing here? Is it providing lift? Warmth? Softness? Structure? Is it connecting the floral heart to the woody base? Is it creating that fuzzy addictive halo that makes the fragrance feel alive?
Then I very carefully rebuild that effect using a new balance of materials.
Sometimes that means the fragrance will smell nearly identical. Sometimes it may develop a subtle new nuance. And sometimes, if I absolutely cannot preserve the soul of the original, I would rather tell you honestly than quietly send out something that no longer feels like the perfume you loved.
Why Follow the Standards at All?
Because making perfume professionally means caring about more than whether something smells beautiful or artistic. It means formulating responsibly, reviewing safety documentation, checking usage limits, calculating allergens, keeping records, and staying current when new information becomes available.
The creative part of perfumery may feel like moonlight, memories, rain-soaked forests, sugared fruit, old books, or a ghost wandering through the Appalachian fog. However, the professional side occasionally looks like a furious little goblin surrounded by spreadsheets, calculators, and an alarming number of numbers.
And every bit of it absolutely matters.
IFRA Standards are an internationally recognized safety framework for fragrance materials. They are not, by themselves, identical to the law in every country, but they are an important professional benchmark. I also have to follow the laws and cosmetic regulations that apply wherever KH products are made and also sold.
I would much rather experience temporary heartbreak over a formula that has to change than ignore updated safety information. Even if I complain dramatically while doing the responsible thing.
Which I will. Loudly.
What This Means for You
If a KH fragrance ever requires a meaningful reformulation, I will be transparent about it. I will not quietly change the heart of something and pretend nothing happened.
You may occasionally see wording such as reformulated, updated formula, or new formulation in a product description. That doesn't automatically mean the fragrance has become an entirely different creature. It simply means I have carefully reviewed the composition, adjusted what was necessary, and worked to preserve as much of the original fragrance as possible, especially the heart, story, and emotional atmosphere that made it belong to Keskiyön Hovi in the first place.
Perfume has never been a motionless art form. Materials disappear. Safety and material knowledge evolves. Harvests vary. Regulations change. Perfumers adapt.
The challenge isn't keeping a list of notes intact, it's keeping the soul intact.
So, if you hear distant wailing coming from somewhere in East Tennessee, do not be alarmed. It is probably not an unidentified cryptid crawling out of the woods.
Although, having seen my own reflection after emerging from the darkness of my studio on a night when a fragrance formula has refused to behave, I suppose we cannot completely rule that out... More likely, it is only your perfumer recalculating a formula, clutching a bottle of PEA to her chest, and preparing to make something beautiful anyway.
With love, responsibility, and several emotionally charged spreadsheets (and a worn out calculator),
-Natasha
Founder and Perfumer
Keskiyön Hovi